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Post by charleslippincott on Apr 5, 2015 21:09:43 GMT -5
I am Charles Lippincott. I have a facebook page where I am uploading the true history of the Marvel Star Wars Comic. Part 1 of the article has been reprinted on this forum. I have just finished uploading the 2nd and 3rd part. They are very long, containing the full, never before revealed transcript from the meeting between George Lucas, Roy Thomas, Howard Chaykin, Marcia Lucas and I on July 27, 1976, after the San Diego comic Con presentation. The 3rd part is an interview with Steve Leialoha. I am now working on the 4th part.
I'm looking for sales information on the first 10 issues. This would be for the US. I'm looking for the reprint dates, edition size and sales figures of Marvel Star Wars Comics Issue #1-10. I have the CBG #1216 which has a sales chart but seem to only cover the original print run. I know fans make it a point to know all they can about the things they love, so I'm asking this here. Thanks.
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Confessor
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Post by Confessor on Apr 7, 2015 7:16:03 GMT -5
That's a nice design by Infantino... Very often in those days I wished he had drawn the spaceships a bit more as they appeared in the film (of which there was only one!) but he did have a certain consistent "Star wars style" when he drew technology. He used it again in his Star-lord stories published in Marvel Preview. Yeah, even as a kid it used to annoy me how inaccurate Infantino's Star Wars spaceship design was. These days I sort of have a comfy, nostalgic reaction to his SW artwork, but in the course of these reviews, I still find it annoying that he doesn't even really seem to be trying to draw the SW tech correctly. But I agree that his ship design did have a consistent "Infantino" look to it. It's less apparent in the case of spaceships that he himself designed, like the Imperial prison ship in the panel I reproduced above, which is why they tend to work or look better IMO. What I will say in Infantino's defense though, is that the way he told and paced a story from panel to panel is impeccable. At no point in these comics do you ever have to wonder what is going on. His panel layout is always crystal clear and serves the story very well. His ability to tell a story in comic form is excellent (as you'd expect from an old master like him). Wow, that's one cool looking star destroyer! I need to track down this story, as I love Han and Chewie. You can currently get it in Dark Horse's Star Wars Omnibus: Wild Space Vol. 1 TPB, which reprints all the UK exclusive comics and the Pizzazz strips, along with some other obscurities. |
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Post by thwhtguardian on Apr 7, 2015 10:22:59 GMT -5
That's a nice design by Infantino... Very often in those days I wished he had drawn the spaceships a bit more as they appeared in the film (of which there was only one!) but he did have a certain consistent "Star wars style" when he drew technology. He used it again in his Star-lord stories published in Marvel Preview. Yeah, even as a kid it used to annoy me how inaccurate Infantino's Star Wars spaceship design was. These days I sort of have a comfy, nostalgic reaction to his SW artwork, but in the course of these reviews, I still find it annoying that he doesn't even really seem to be trying to draw the SW tech correctly. But I agree that his ship design did have a consistent "Infantino" look to it. It's less apparent in the case of spaceships that he himself designed, like the Imperial prison ship in the panel I reproduced above, which is why they tend to work or look better IMO. What I will say in Infantino's defense though, is that the way he told and paced a story from panel to panel is impeccable. At no point in these comics do you ever have to wonder what is going on. His panel layout is always crystal clear and serves the story very well. His ability to tell a story in comic form is excellent (as you'd expect from an old master like him). Wow, that's one cool looking star destroyer! I need to track down this story, as I love Han and Chewie. You can currently get it in Dark Horse's Star Wars Omnibus: Wild Space Vol. 1 TPB, which reprints all the UK exclusive comics and the Pizzazz strips, along with some other obscurities. I was actually thinking of getting that, as it also has the strips from the scholastic Star Wars Kids magazine that I loved growing up. |
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Confessor
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Post by Confessor on Apr 7, 2015 18:57:45 GMT -5
Yeah, even as a kid it used to annoy me how inaccurate Infantino's Star Wars spaceship design was. These days I sort of have a comfy, nostalgic reaction to his SW artwork, but in the course of these reviews, I still find it annoying that he doesn't even really seem to be trying to draw the SW tech correctly. But I agree that his ship design did have a consistent "Infantino" look to it. It's less apparent in the case of spaceships that he himself designed, like the Imperial prison ship in the panel I reproduced above, which is why they tend to work or look better IMO. What I will say in Infantino's defense though, is that the way he told and paced a story from panel to panel is impeccable. At no point in these comics do you ever have to wonder what is going on. His panel layout is always crystal clear and serves the story very well. His ability to tell a story in comic form is excellent (as you'd expect from an old master like him). You can currently get it in Dark Horse's Star Wars Omnibus: Wild Space Vol. 1 TPB, which reprints all the UK exclusive comics and the Pizzazz strips, along with some other obscurities. I was actually thinking of getting that, as it also has the strips from the scholastic Star Wars Kids magazine that I loved growing up. The cool thing is that the first Wild Space volume reprints the early UK exclusive strips exactly as they were first published (although those that were reprinted by Dark Horse in the Devil Worlds mini-series in the 90s still retain their Dark Horse colouring). The U.S. reprints of this stuff in the Marvel Illustrated Books volumes had certain panels cut in half or severely cropped in order to make the speech balloons legible in the smaller paperback size. The original formatting, which is preserved in the Wild Space trade, is infinitely preferable. |
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Post by thwhtguardian on Apr 7, 2015 19:18:36 GMT -5
I was actually thinking of getting that, as it also has the strips from the scholastic Star Wars Kids magazine that I loved growing up. The cool thing is that the first Wild Space volume reprints the early UK exclusive strips exactly as they were first published (although those that were reprinted by Dark Horse in the Devil Worlds mini-series in the 90s still retain their Dark Horse colouring). The U.S. reprints of this stuff in the Marvel Illustrated Books volumes had certain panels cut in half or severely cropped in order to make the speech balloons legible in the smaller paperback size. The original formatting, which is preserved in the Wild Space trade, is infinitely preferable. That's awesome, consider me sold. I guess the only question that remains is whether or not I want to track it down physically or get instant gratification through comixology. |
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Post by wildfire2099 on Apr 10, 2015 6:59:23 GMT -5
I am Charles Lippincott. I have a facebook page where I am uploading the true history of the Marvel Star Wars Comic. Part 1 of the article has been reprinted on this forum. I have just finished uploading the 2nd and 3rd part. They are very long, containing the full, never before revealed transcript from the meeting between George Lucas, Roy Thomas, Howard Chaykin, Marcia Lucas and I on July 27, 1976, after the San Diego comic Con presentation. The 3rd part is an interview with Steve Leialoha. I am now working on the 4th part. I'm looking for sales information on the first 10 issues. This would be for the US. I'm looking for the reprint dates, edition size and sales figures of Marvel Star Wars Comics Issue #1-10. I have the CBG #1216 which has a sales chart but seem to only cover the original print run. I know fans make it a point to know all they can about the things they love, so I'm asking this here. Thanks. That's a bit before my time, so I'm sadly unable to help, but it sounds like an awesome project... good luck! |
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Post by charleslippincott on Apr 10, 2015 21:33:18 GMT -5
Thank you, wildfire yes, the original first Star Wars comics are a bit earlier than many people's times. Suspect that is why Marvel is recoloring them -- attempt to find a new audience, though it is a bit steep of a price. On my facebook page I've had the luck of several people who have been able to help me unearth information, though I think now my emails to Jim Shooter are probably going to be the best bet at finding the info I need. Thanks, and good luck.
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Confessor
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Post by Confessor on Apr 14, 2015 19:54:30 GMT -5
Star Wars Weekly #95Cover dated: December 18th, 1979 Issue title: Chewbacca Fights Alone! ( The Way of the Wookiee!, Part 2) Script: Archie Goodwin Artwork: Carmine Infantino (pencils)/Pablo Marcos (inks) Tones: Howard Bender Letters: Irving Watanabe Cover art: Carmine Infantino (pencils)/Bob Wiacek (inks) Overall rating: 3½ out of 10  Plot summary: On the planet Formos, Han Solo has been forced to shoot Chewbacca with a stun blast to prevent him from attacking a fellow Wookiee who is the prisoner of a squad of Imperial stormtroopers. Later, after Han has talked the stormtroopers out of arresting the pair and sending them both to the Spice Mines of Kessel, Chewie explains to Solo that the Wookiee he saw in custody is named Hronk and the two have a long standing feud that began on their homeworld of Kashyyyk. Han rationalises that, since Hronk is bound for the Spice Mines and a life of slavery, why not let things be? Chewbacca, however, is not satisfied and he decides to sneak aboard an Imperial prison ship, freeing the prisoners as a distraction, while he rescues Hronk. Comments: Part two of "The Way of the Wookiee!" is of much the same quality as the first episode, in terms of the artwork and Archie Goodwin's scripting. However, there is a exposition-heavy translation of Chewbacca's tale at one point, which consists of Solo repeating everything that Chewbacca says for a page and a half, which is really, really badly done. It just doesn't seem very natural to have Han repeating out loud a translation of every grunt and growl that the Wookiee makes and this scene is all too obviously a way to clue the readers in on what Chewie is saying. The whole thing would've worked much better as narration boxes, beginning with something like "Sullenly, the Wookiee starts to recount a tale of another time, another planet, a world called Kashyyyk..." or something similar. The way it's done here seems like really bad writing on Goodwin's part. That complaint aside, the rest of the issue isn't too bad actually, although it never gets close to being up to the standard of some of Goodwin's best work on Marvel's Star Wars series. Still, I was glad to see Han castigate his Wookiee sidekick for charging at the patrol of Imperial stormtroopers last issue, shortly after having been instructed to keep a low profile on the planet. It makes sense that Han would be upset about his co-pilot recklessly jeopardising their smuggling mission. Something else that I thought was cool was that, during a flashback panel, we get to see stormtroopers in an Imperial Troop Transporter, which was a toy that Kenner released in 1979...   We will see these vehicles again during Marvel's original Star Wars series, in issues #31 and #32 of the regular series and in "Dark Knight's Devilry" from The Empire Strikes Back Monthly #153. Something else that's neat is that this is the first time in the Marvel comics that we get to see the Wookiee homeworld of Kashyyyk, albeit in a flashback sequence. Kashyyyk had first been seen and given its name in the infamous Star Wars Holiday Special in November 1978, so its cool to see Goodwin reference it in this comic. All in all, the story and artwork in this issue are below par, but generally no better or worse than last issue. However, I'm docking an extra ½ point for the badly scripted sequence where Han translates Chewbacca's explanation of his feud with Hronk. Continuity issues: - The Wookiee homeworld of Kashyyyk is misspelt as Kazhyyk in the original issue and the colour version in Marvel Illustrated Books: Star Wars #1 (although it has been corrected in later reprints).
Favourite panel:  Favourite quote: "I can't believe you did what you did back in town! Think I would've lost control like that if they'd been draggin' off some Corellian?!" – Han Solo reprimands Chewbacca for his foolhardy attack on a patrol of stormtroopers.
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Post by Nowhere Man on Apr 17, 2015 4:58:54 GMT -5
I've just learned that Marvel Unlimited has uploaded all of the original 1977 series. They only have the first three annuals, which I'm assuming isn't all of them. (I haven't checked.) Star Wars (1977) |
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Post by Confessor on Apr 17, 2015 7:57:49 GMT -5
I've just learned that Marvel Unlimited has uploaded all of the original 1977 series. They only have the first three annuals, which I'm assuming isn't all of them. (I haven't checked.) Star Wars (1977)Wow! Pretty neat! There were only three Star Wars annuals in total, so if they've put up the 107 regular issues, the three annuals and the Return of the Jedi adaptation, then that's basically the whole run (not counting UK exclusive stories, Pizzazz strips etc). Hopefully, having the books on Marvel Unlimited will mean that a few more folks might be able to read along with this thread and comment. |
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Post by Confessor on Apr 17, 2015 8:12:44 GMT -5
Star Wars Weekly #96Cover dated: December 26th, 1979 Issue title: Switch! ( The Way of the Wookiee!, Part 3) Script: Archie Goodwin Artwork: Carmine Infantino (pencils)/Pablo Marcos (inks) Tones: Howard Bender Letters: Irving Watanabe Cover art: Carmine Infantino (pencils)/Bob Wiacek (inks) Overall rating: 3½ out of 10  Plot summary: Having rescued the Wookiee Hronk – with whom he has a long standing feud – Chewbacca reaches the Millennium Falcon in its docking bay on the planet Formos. As Imperial Commander Quirt's stormtroopers close in, the freighter blasts out of the planet's atmosphere, with Han Solo, Chewie, Hronk and a smuggled cargo of spice on board. However, Jabba the Hutt's contact on Formos, N'Mrith, has betrayed Han and Chewbacca and informed Quirt about the shipment of spice. The Falcon is stopped and boarded by Quirt and his men, but Han and Chewie are able to outwit the Imperials by jettisoning their cargo and disguising Hronk as Chewbacca. The pair then drop Hronk off in a nearby system, with the Wookiee now in Chewbacca's debt according to the Wookiee code of honour, which brings the feud between the two to a close. As they fly away, Han and Chewbacca reflect on the fact that Jabba will not be pleased when he hears that they've lost the shipment of spice they were supposed to deliver. Comments: This issue of Star Wars Weekly features the conclusion of "The Way of the Wookiee!". Something that's interesting and pretty neat on writer Archie Goodwin's part is that we see in this instalment exactly what happened to the shipment of Jabba the Hutt's spice that Han had to jettison, as mentioned in Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope. This is the incident that led to Jabba putting a price on Solo's head and ultimately to the Corellian being put into carbon freeze and handed over to the bounty hunter Boba Fett in The Empire Strikes Back. There's also an interesting mention of the Galactic Senate and the procedural restraints it put on the Empire's daily dealings with its citizens, in the days before the Senate was dissolved by the Emperor, again as seen in Episode IV – A New Hope. I love how Goodwin mines little references from the movie like this to help flesh out the Marvel comics. It's why he was such a good fit for writing this series. On the downside, the switching of Chewbacca for Hronk, in order to fool the Empire and escape from the planet Formos, left me rolling my eyes. While, on the art front, Pablo Marcos' inking seems to have gotten progressively more scribbly as this adventure has progressed and this issue is definitely the most rushed looking of the three parts. "The Way of the Wookiee!" is a fairly mediocre storyline and not really very important to the Marvel run overall. There's also some pretty average-looking artwork in this adventure too. Having said that, it's worth mentioning that I think the colour reprint of this story in Marvel Illustrated Books: Star Wars #1 is superior to the original black and white version that appeared in Star Wars Weekly #94 - 96. Yes, many of the panels in the story had to be cut in half or re-arranged, in order to fit them onto the smaller pages of the paperback reprint and still keep them readable, but Marie Severin's colouring really makes Infantino and Marcos' artwork "pop" in the colour version and as a result, it looks way more impressive than the original black and white. In spite of the scrappy artwork and below average story, I'm going to give this final instalment of "The Way of the Wookiee!" an extra ½ point for historical significance, due to the explanation of the whole "lost spice" plot element from the films. Continuity issues: None Favourite panel:  Favourite quote: "Leave everything to you...? Chewie, that's how we got into this mess!" – Han Solo reacts sceptically to Chewbacca's revelation that he has a plan.
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Post by Confessor on Apr 21, 2015 11:28:16 GMT -5
Star Wars Weekly #97Cover dated: January 2nd, 1980 Issue title: The Day After the Death Star!, Part 1 Script: Archie Goodwin Artwork: Carmine Infantino (pencils)/Gene Day (inks) Tones: Howard Bender Letters: Irving Watanabe Cover art: Carmine Infantino (pencils)/Bob Wiacek (inks) Overall rating: 4½ out of 10  Plot summary: Following the Rebel Alliance's victory celebrations for the destruction of the Death Star, Luke Skywalker wanders outside the Rebel base and ponders everything that has happened to him recently and his new found status as a hero. Realising that he is too over-excited to sleep, Luke returns to the base and, with the freshly repaired R2-D2, sneaks off on a joyride in his X-wing fighter, leaving a worried C-3PO behind. Comments: "The Day After the Death Star!" is, like "The Way of the Wookiee!", a story created exclusively for the UK market and was first published in the pages of Star Wars Weekly #97-99. It's also set before the then-current Marvel Star Wars comics continuity, which is something else that it has in common with "The Way of the Wookiee!". In setting his story just a scant few hours after the end of Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope, this adventure is somewhat similar, in terms of setting, to Jo Duffy's later "Jawas of Doom" from issue #81 of the main Marvel series, which takes place the day after the destruction of the second Death Star. Archie Goodwin's story is a pretty interesting one overall, although this initial instalment is perhaps the weakest of the three parts, dealing, as it does, with setting up the story for the most part. His characterisation of Luke is pretty spot on here, but we unfortunately get yet another one of those cringe inducing incest moments when, during the celebrations, Luke and Leia share a passionate kiss. It doesn't help that the narration boxes in the panel where the siblings kiss tell us that this is how Luke feels things should always be. Still, like I always say when these moments occur in the Marvel comic, nobody at this point had any idea that Luke and Leia would turn out to be brother and sister, possibly not even George Lucas himself. Something that's really cool in this issue is that Goodwin shows us that Chewbacca actually received a medal for his part in the destruction of the Death Star, just like Han and Luke did. The lack of any medal for the Wookiee at the end of the original Star Wars movie has annoyed and puzzled fans almost since the film came out. But here in this early 1980 UK issue of Star Wars Weekly it is explained that the reason Chewbacca didn't get given his medal during the ceremony was because Leia wasn't tall enough to place it around his neck without her having to stand on something, which would've been too undignified for a princess and Rebel figurehead like her. Hmmmm...so what, Chewie couldn't just bend down a little while Leia placed the medal around his neck?! I'm not entirely convinced by this explanation, but I like that Goodwin at least tries to address this point and placate the fanbase. Something that didn't sit well with me in this issue is that Goodwin has R2-D2 in the cockpit of Luke's X-wing fighter with Skywalker (because the droid socket had been damaged during the Death Star battle). This bugs me because there's no way you could fit an astromech droid into the cockpit of Luke's X-wing and still have room for the pilot. Carmine Infantino's artwork is pretty serviceable overall, although we get some really poor depictions of Luke's X-wing fighter and Day's inking gives Skywalker's face an overly-stern appearance in one or two panels. Also, the length of Luke's hair seems to fluctuate from panel to panel: on the opening splash page he sports a lengthy, Conan-esque mane, but a page later he has a much shorter hairstyle. I must also make mention of the butt-ugly Infantino and Bob Wiacek front cover of this issue, in which Infantino's crappy depictions of Star Wars spacecraft reach an all-time low. All in all though, this isn't a bad issue. However, more interesting developments were to come in the next two instalments of the adventure. The chief source of interest for the reader here is in being a fly on the wall during the Rebel celebrations and in seeing Chewbacca finally get his medal. Continuity issues: Luke and R2-D2 cram into the cockpit of Luke's X-wing fighter, but the regular T-65 X-wing is a one man ship and there wouldn't be room for a human and an astromech droid. Favourite panel:  Favourite quote: "If you're complaining about being cramped, Artoo...I feel the same way." – Luke Skywalker attempts to guess what R2-D2 is saying, as they both sit in the cramped confines of an X-wing fighter cockpit.
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Post by dbutler69 on Apr 22, 2015 9:46:48 GMT -5
Star Wars #19Cover dated: January 1979 Issue title: The Ultimate Gamble!Script: Archie Goodwin Artwork: Carmine Infantino (pencils)/Bob Wiacek (inks) Colours: Carl Gafford Letters: Irving Watanabe Cover art: Carmine Infantino (pencils)/Bob Wiacek (inks) Overall rating: 5½ out of 10  Plot summary: On board the gambling station known as The Wheel, C-3PO and R2-D2 take an unconscious Luke Skywalker to the medical centre, while the Wheel's administrator, Senator Greyshade, has Princess Leia brought to his quarters. While talking with Greyshade, Leia tips the former senator off about the Empire's plan to take over the Wheel to help fund its war against the Rebel Alliance. This prompts Greyshade to broker a deal with Imperial Commander Strom to have Luke, Han Solo, Chewbacca and the two droids meet an untimely end, on condition that Leia be allowed to remain with him on the Wheel. Meanwhile, Chewbacca has been captured by the Wheel's security and forced to enter into a lethal gladiatorial contest known as The Big Game. Han Solo has also entered the Big Game, not realising that his Wookiee sidekick is a contestant as well. This seeming coincidence has actually been orchestrated behind the scenes by Greyshade and the Wheel's central computer, Master-Com. Comments: Issue #19 of Marvel's Star Wars is more or less on a par with issue #18, in terms of its storyline and action quota. However, one big improvement over last issue is that we have Bob Wiacek back on inks, instead of Gene Day. Straight off the bat, from the opening splash page, this issue just looks a lot nicer than the last one. While it's true that Wiacek tends to emphasise the angular tendencies of penciller Carmine Infantino (and to be honest, he's no better or worse at that than Day), his style just seems to gel much better with the artist's. Certainly, it's nice not to see the slightly over heavy line work and hatching that marred last issue. Plus, Wiacek is a bit more liberal with the Zip-a-Tone shading, which I like. As for Infantino himself, I love the front cover of this issue. Floating, disembodied heads of the type used here are never my favourite thing on a comic cover, but somehow they work in this context - especially in conjunction with the surrealistic red skull that forms the hub of the Wheel. The overall result is very striking. In terms of the interior artwork, in addition to the usual problems that I have with Infantino's art on this series, I'm finding it frustrating that he has yet to give us a decent depiction of Chewbacca anywhere in his run. It's kind of hard to pinpoint exactly what's wrong with his take on the Wookiee, but the face is definitely too hairless and the fur on Chewie's body just doesn't hang right. As I've said before, Infantino must have had access to reference photographs of the Wookiee, so there really is no excuse for this. But like I've also said, the inaccurate depiction of Chewbacca is a recurring problem with Marvel's Star Wars comic throughout its early years. Only Tom Palmer has really drawn the Wookiee right so far, in issues #8, #9 and #10. That said, the page where Infantino depicts Chewbacca sneaking around the Wheel, making his way to the Crimson Casino on the station's upper levels, is probably my favourite page of the whole issue. Just not necessarily because of the way that Infantino draws Chewbacca. The colouring of Carl Gafford is worthy of mention in this issue. I really liked his multi-coloured rendering of the interior of the Death Star back in the movie adaptation issues and here again we get a stylised interior to the Wheel, with vivid splashes of purple, blue, cerise and yellow. These kinds of Technicolor hues really shouldn't work in a futuristic space station, but just like in the film adaptation, they do. What's weird is that this colouring never once makes the reader think that this is actually how the station is decorated. It's rather strange that this colouring works as well as it does. Archie Goodwin's plot line continues to entertain, with his usual good scripting and excellent characterisation of the central cast. We learn more about Senator Greyshade's slightly creepy, obsessive interest in winning Princess Leia's heart and we also get our first glimpse of Master-Com's fascination with the Rebel droids' protective and devotional attitude towards Luke. Master-Com's interest in this aspect of R2 and 3PO's character will come to a head in the not too distant future. There's also a slightly humourous typo in this issue, when the Wheel security guards are telling Chewbacca that he must fight in the Big Game or be sent to the Spine Mines of Kessel, rather than the Spice Mines. There's another small typo when 3PO calls R2 a "thermo-capsuary dehousing assister", when it should be "thermo-capsulary", but it seems overly nit-picky to mention that...so I won't.  This is another fairly fast-paced and entertaining episode of the Wheel saga, although it's still quite far from being of the highest quality that the series can and will eventually offer. I'm gonna rate this a ½ point higher than last issue for the improved inking, but really, there's little to choose between the two books in terms of entertainment. Continuity issues: None Favourite panel:  Favourite quote: "You guys are destroying a work of engineering art...undoing years of special modifications!" – Han Solo complains to the Wheel security guards about their tampering with the Millennium Falcon. I'm finally back into the Star Wars comics! I guess I enjoyed #18 and 19 more than you did. I agree with all of your art comments (Infantino is definitely not my first choice, plus his Chewie looks bad, though Wiacek's inks are a definite improvement) but I really enjoy the writing enough, plus I guess I'm getting a little use to the art, though it's a shame we couldn't have gotten somebody like Dave Cockrum. Anyway, I think the pace and action are fast, just like in the movie, and I love the banter between Han & Leia (the droids too). It really feels like Star Wars to me. |
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Post by Confessor on Apr 23, 2015 8:03:41 GMT -5
I'm finally back into the Star Wars comics! Hooray!!!  I guess I enjoyed #18 and 19 more than you did. I agree with all of your art comments (Infantino is definitely not my first choice, plus his Chewie looks bad, though Wiacek's inks are a definite improvement) but I really enjoy the writing enough, plus I guess I'm getting a little use to the art, though it's a shame we couldn't have gotten somebody like Dave Cockrum. Anyway, I think the pace and action are fast, just like in the movie, and I love the banter between Han & Leia (the droids too). It really feels like Star Wars to me. I don't think Infantino's artwork is bad, per se, because his storytelling and panel composition is always superb. Plus, I totally agree that you get used to it after a while and if, like me, you read these issues as a kid, his artwork conjures a cozy nostalgia as an adult. But there can be no excuse for his seemingly willful disregard for accuracy in depicting the ships and characters from the movie. Infantino definitely would've had lots of reference photos to work with, so I can only conclude that he had no desire to draw these comics accurately, which is a shame. As for the writing, I think Goodwin's characterisation of the core cast is pretty good in these early issues of The Wheel saga, but it's only as the tale draws to a close that he really hits his stride; issues #21-23 are really pretty good from a writing perspective. |
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Post by Confessor on Apr 23, 2015 8:57:24 GMT -5
Star Wars Weekly #98Cover dated: January 9th, 1980 Issue title: Space Duel! ( The Day After the Death Star!, Part 2) Script: Archie Goodwin Artwork: Carmine Infantino (pencils)/Gene Day (inks) Tones: Howard Bender Letters: Irving Watanabe Cover art: Carmine Infantino (pencils)/Bob Wiacek (inks) Overall rating: 4½ out of 10  Plot summary: After sneaking off from the celebrations for the Rebel Alliance's victory over the Death Star, Luke Skywalker takes a joyride in his X-wing fighter with R2-D2. As the pair soar beyond the fourth moon of Yavin's atmosphere, they encounter a lone TIE fighter left over from the battle. Engaging the enemy craft in a dogfight, Luke soon realises that he has forgotten to recharge his ship's weapons and as a result, the youngster is forced to ram the enemy craft to bring it down. Both craft suffer critical damage during the collision and spiral out of control towards Yavin 4 below. Luke manages to crash land in a lake, but R2-D2 is thrown free of the X-wing and lost in the process. Comments: Part two of "The Day After the Death Star!" is much the same as the first, in terms of the artwork. Carmine Infantino gives us more appallingly inaccurate drawings of Luke's X-wing, both inside the comic and on the front cover, but the fluidity of his storytelling is as assured as ever. In particular, I love the pacing and "camera angels" he chooses during the space dogfight sequence in this issue. Archie Goodwin's plot begins to build in excitement with this instalment and this issue is definitely more action packed that the previous one. However, there are a couple of things that bug me in this issue: firstly, as I mentioned in my review of last issue, it wouldn't be possible for R2-D2 to be in the cockpit of Luke's X-wing with him, and secondly, I find it hard to believe that Luke could pop open the X-wing's canopy and let R2 trundle along one of the craft's S-Foils to make hasty repairs, while the ship plummets uncontrollably towards the surface of Yavin 4. I mean, R2's a pretty brave and resourceful droid, admittedly, and what he does here isn't so different to what we saw him do on the outside of Queen Amidala's royal space cruiser in Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace, but still, it seems a bit unlikely to me. Regardless of those couple of niggling points though, this is definitely a pretty exciting issue and even better is to come with the next part. Continuity issues: - Luke and R2-D2 cram into the cockpit of Luke's X-wing fighter, but the regular T-65 X-wing is a one man ship and there wouldn't be room for a human and an astromech droid.
Favourite panel:  Favourite quote: "We're headed for home, Artoo. The question is: in how many pieces?!" – Luke Skywalker ponders his and R2-D2's fate, as their damaged X-wing fighter plummets towards the surface of Yavin 4.
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